Growing up, he was fascinated by World War Two Nose Art. But by the time Barba joined the Air Force, Nose Art had been banned.

"I was like, that time has passed, you know, I was born 40 years too late," says Barba.

Turns out, he was right on time, a few years later the ban was lifted. and finally 1996, an artist, at heart, he got a shot.

Artist Steve Barba says, "I was pretty nervous doing the first one."

But he never looked back.

Artist Steve Barba says, "I did 19 when I was in the military and then 31 when I was out."

Filling the regulation size 3 by 3 foot squares, one dream at a time.

Barba says, "I just pinch myself every time I do it. Every time I do it, I pinch myself."

Honored to be carrying on a tradition.

Barba says, "I've painted 50 Nose Arts and I think I'm the only guy in the nation that's painted that many on active duty aircraft."

Still, he says, some World War Two artists, painted more than 100. But Steve Barba knows more than nose art.

Barba says, "I love to cartoon, I love to exaggerate, love to push colors. I love to push tones."

He's been drawing these cartoons for a decade.

Barba says, "I can just fatten things up or make it my own."

It takes Barba about 20 hours per drawing, and as he flips pages, he launches one image after another.

With the help of a local printer he can do all sorts of things like resizing his sketches, and combining his drawings into cartoons like "Hawg Chow" : featuring the "A 10 Thunderbolt 2", affectionately known as the Wart Hog.

Artist Steve Barba says, "See the difference in color, what this guy can do, compared to what, you know, these get really dirty he can really clean them up"

But beyond the Nose Art and Cartoons, he unleashes the unbridled doors of this:

Barba says, "These things I have no plans, I just go."

The technical name is Assemblage Art, however, reality requires a second look. One sculpture named after Casey Jones, is named CJ's Hammer.

Artist Steve Barba says, "The train was a model kit. I threw the model together and started adding my flair to it."

The detail of his work is mind blowing. The train sculpture is covered with cows, settlers, you name it: you could look for a week and not see everything.

Another of his sculptures is named 'Freedom of Expression', not your everyday Eagle.These are the nostrils on the Eagle's nose.